Meeting the Mother
by dna2000
Summary: One-shot in response to requests to write Mary and Isobel's first meeting. Also M/M! Post-'A Conflict of Feelings'.


_A/N: this is a one-shot documenting Mary and Isobel's first meeting. There's a fair amount of M/M in here too!_

…

"Yes, I will…yeah, sure…please stop over-reacting, it'll be fine. Look, I've got to go now, I'm just outside Matthew's flat and I'm already late. I'll see you later…Bye."

Mary checked the time on her phone as she disconnected the call. She hated people who weren't punctual and chastised herself for allowing herself to be one of them. She skipped up the few steps to the front door, to minimise the damage the drizzle would inflict upon her straightened hair, and pressed the buzzer. Almost instantly, a beaming Matthew opened the door.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Mary asked. Matthew had many talents but agility wasn't really one of them (unless, in certain circumstances, he was undressing…).

"Saw you through my window while you were parking." Matthew said simply, brushing a raindrop off her nose and kissing her before stepping backwards to let her into the narrow hallway.

"Sorry for being so late, the traffic was terrible, and then as soon as it started moving, Mum called to pester me about my dress for Aunt Rosamund's wedding." Mary explained as she walked up the stairs to Matthew's flat.

"Did your Mum's phonecall make you more late?" Matthew asked as he opened his door.

"No, I suppose not— but it made the journey more irritating. I live with the woman, for God's sake- can't she confine her nagging to when I'm at home?" Mary dramatically dropped her handbag onto the armchair. She was about to throw herself onto the sofa when she noticed what Matthew was doing. "Why are you putting your jacket on?"

"We're going out for dinner." Matthew stated, patting his pockets to make sure he had his keys and phone.

"Are we? Where? I'm not dressed to go out." In Mary's view, an outfit comprising of skinny jeans and a loose-fitting blouse was not for public eyes.

"We're not going 'out' out." Matthew said evasively. Upon seeing Mary's threatening glare (she didn't like surprises or people being deliberately vague), he explained. "My mother's invited us over for dinner."

Isobel had been trying to arrange a dinner with the couple for the last few weeks, but to no avail. Whether it was Mary's work, Matthew's work, Isobel's work or Mary's family commitments, something had always stood in the way.

"What?!" Mary cried. "Now?! I can't go like this! I'm not prepared!"

Matthew was taken aback by this reaction- while he'd expected Mary to be annoyed at the short notice, he hadn't anticipated that she'd be so flustered. "Darling, you don't need to 'prepare'." He laughed lightly, calmingly stroking her arm. "It's just dinner with my mother. You've spent your entire life going to dinners where you've been faced with dozens of scary socialites- this will be a walk in the park!"

The tension in Mary's shoulders ebbed away slightly. Matthew was right. _It's only one dinner, with one woman. But it's just…_"I've never met a boyfriend's mother before." She admitted quietly- shyly, even. Her relationship with her ex-boyfriend was mainly conducted while they were at university; during the holidays, he'd go back to his home in Switzerland while Mary had returned to London, meaning neither of them ever met the other's parents.

Matthew smiled at her fondly. She was hardly ever nervous about anything, and it was endearing to see that she cared so much about making a good impression. "Mary, she likes you already. I promise. With all the things I've been telling her about you, it'd be impossible for her _not_ to like you." His sincere words were rewarded with a grateful smile and a kiss. "Let's go, I'll drive."

…

"Are you sure she won't judge me for being late?"

Matthew sighed upon being asked for the third time. "Yes, I'm sure. She knows you didn't know about the dinner until you arrived at my place."

"But won't she judge me for turning up late to your place, regardless?"

"Not everyone's as judgmental as you, Mary." Matthew smirked.

"I would smack you, but you're driving and I don't want to end up in an accident." Mary replied.

"Because the force of your smack would definitely knock me completely off course." Matthew said drily, alluding to her famously weak 'slaps'. Matthew felt at his most physically strong whenever he was around Mary- it appeared that all her strength resided in her personality, which suited him fine. It was nice to feel masculine around his girlfriend.

"Shut up." Mary huffed, staring out of the window.

…

"Here we are." Matthew announced as he pulled up outside a small terraced house.

"It's nice." Mary remarked, observing the little abode.

Matthew smirked as he noticed her look on in wonder at the distinctly average house. "Have you ever been inside a terraced house?" He asked.

"Erm…probably, yeah." Mary replied uncertainly.

"Really?" Matthew said disbelievingly.

"Well, maybe not." Mary suddenly felt rather silly. All her relatives and friends lived in country houses, townhouses or luxury flats (or, in some cases, all three). She hadn't realised quite how out-of-touch she was with the real world until now.

Matthew chuckled lightly as he opened the car door. These differences in their lifestyles always kept their relationship interesting. "Terraced houses are much less intimidating and easy to navigate than the houses you're used to." He joked as he opened her door for her. Taking her hand, he led her to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Almost instantly, Isobel answered the door. "I saw the car pull up through the living room window." She explained in response to their unasked question, smiling at them both.

_Like mother, like son_, Mary smiled inwardly.

"How clever." Matthew remarked, glancing sideways at Mary, who managed to internalise her eye-roll. "Mum, this is Mary." He said needlessly, for Isobel was already giving Mary her full attention and ushering her into the house and out of the persistent drizzle.

"It's so good to finally meet you." Isobel said enthusiastically, leaning forward to embrace Mary.

"And you." Mary replied, startled at the immediate affection. Her own mother hugged Matthew from time to time, and her father would clap him on the back, but that had only started a few months after meeting him. Being treated like a friend or family member so quickly was a novel sensation for Mary.

She watched as Matthew's cheek was fondly kissed by his mother and listened to her declare that he was in need of a haircut with great amusement.

From what Matthew had told Mary about Isobel, it was evident that they were very close. Isobel had raised Matthew alone after her husband passed away when Matthew was young. She'd seen him through adolescence, university, and now into his adult life. She'd achieved so much; raising a son who was as close to perfection as humanly possible (in Mary's opinion, at least) while holding down a taxing job as an NHS midwife, as well as ceaselessly contributing to her local community.

For all her experience in meeting high-powered bankers, lawyers and businessmen, Mary was somewhat intimidated by Isobel.

…

"I'm afraid dinner isn't quite what I'd hoped to give you." Isobel apologised as they sat down at the small table. "I was called in this afternoon at the last minute- one of the midwives was taken ill and they urgently needed somebody to fill in."

"Oh, don't apologise, this looks wonderful." Mary said politely. The food did in fact look extremely appetising, simple though it was.

"My mother can't seem to keep away from work." Matthew smiled as he served some roast potatoes onto Mary's plate. "She's missed friends' birthdays and weddings just because a woman goes into labour early."

"How long have you been a midwife for?" Mary asked. Matthew had already told her this, but she wanted to seem friendly and interested.

"Thirty-five years this year, and I can't see myself giving it up anytime soon!" Isobel laughed lightly. "Although the NHS isn't what it used to be. I actually bumped into one my former colleagues the other day. Christina Ervine." She informed Matthew, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"It must have been nice to see her after so long. How is she?" He asked casually, placing a spoonful of carrots onto his plate.

Mary watched the exchange with interest. Whenever her parents mentioned 'bumping into old friends', it was either to announce that said person was going to help the career of one of the family members, or it was to try and match-make Mary with said person's son. She and her parents never sat and casually chatted about how they were and what they were doing.

"Fine, fine. Her two eldest children are both qualified doctors now. The youngest is still at school. _Boarding _school." She said pointedly as she shook her head in mild disbelief. "I don't understand how she does it."

Matthew moved in his seat uncomfortably. "Er…Mum, Mary went to boarding school."

"Oh." Isobel looked up from her plate. "Did you?"

"Yes, I did. My sisters and I all did." Mary said after awkwardly clearing her throat. She sensed that Isobel had a strong opinion on the topic.

"How did you find it?" Isobel asked with great interest.

"It was…fine, I suppose. I never knew any different." Mary shrugged delicately.

"So you didn't feel that you were missing out on quality time with your family?" Isobel asked without hesitation.

"Mother." Matthew warned, using her 'full name' to indicate that he didn't like this conversation very much.

"Because I was reading an article about this recently," Isobel continued, ignoring her son's interference, "and it noted that children who get sent to boarding schools often feel that they haven't been nurtured enough, compared with children who school during the day only and spend their evenings and weekends at home. Was that not your experience?"

Mary initially felt like she should be affronted by Isobel's comments…but she wasn't. Isobel wasn't condemning the way her parents chose to raise her— she was actually asking for her view. She wasn't judging Mary's schooling— she just wanted to engage in a discussion about it.

"Like I said, I didn't have anything to compare it to, personally." Mary began. "Although, when I went to university and met people who hadn't boarded, it did make me wonder if it affected how we grew up. I suppose I was denied the opportunity to go home and leave school behind me at the end of each day. That probably made schooling a more intense experience. But as far as nurturing is concerned, I never felt like that was lacking. I suppose I was lucky to have good teachers, and I was at home during the holidays, anyway."

"I see, that's interesting. Why did your parents decide to send you and your sisters there, rather than keep you at home?" Isobel asked, her meal forgotten.

Mary couldn't help but smile at the older lady's keenness as she gave her answer. The questions Isobel was asking may be quite private- particularly for their first meeting- but it was refreshing to meet someone who _really_ wanted to find out about her, in contrast to the society lot who concentrated on polite small talk, networking or extracting gossip. She hadn't met anyone who properly conversed with her in this way since…well, Matthew.

…

"That was a delicious meal, Isobel." Mary smiled as her plate was cleared away.

"I'm glad you think so." Isobel smiled warmly back.

"Here, Mum, I'll do that." Matthew immediately rose to his feet, taking the pile of dishes away from his mother and heading towards the kitchen.

"Oh, Matthew dear, don't worry. You're a _guest_ here."

"I'm never a 'guest' in my own mother's home." Matthew called from the kitchen, eliciting a fond smile from Isobel.

Mary heard the tap running in the kitchen- Matthew was doing the washing up! Mary had had to do such chores while she was fending for herself at university, but she didn't think she'd ever washed up at home- she'd certainly never _voluntarily _washed up at home! But she reckoned that Matthew didn't want his mother to be lumbered with a sinkful of dirty crockery, and had considerately taken it on himself. For a moment she wondered whether all adult children were so selfless when it came to their parents, and she was falling short, but she suspected not; Matthew was especially kind and caring, and clearly shared an unusually strong bond with his mother.

"Well, if he's doing that, then we can start putting the leftovers away." Isobel suggested. "Would you mind helping me?" She asked, walking into the kitchen.

Later, Mary would feel guilty for not having offered her assistance before being asked, but at the time the idea of her helping clear up was fairly ludicrous. As far as she'd seen, guests always remained seated and everything was done for them, usually by the domestic help, behind the scenes. But, as she began wrapping clingfilm and tinfoil over various dishes, she wondered if the guests at Crawley house had been missing out on something; it actually felt quite nice to help out. It was homely and informal. She felt like she'd been welcomed into the family in some way, like she could be comfortable around them. She listened carefully as Isobel instructed her where to place the various dishes in the fridge.

"Three pairs of hands are certainly quicker than one." Isobel chuckled as Mary slotted the last of the Tupperware boxes into the fridge and Matthew placed the last of the plates on the drying rack. "Thanks for your help, Mary."

"No problem." Mary said sincerely, blushing slightly as Matthew kissed her temple fondly and rubbed her back. Apparently things were going well!

"Don't I get a 'thank you'?" Matthew asked with mock-hurt.

"Only guests get 'thank yous' and you insisted that you would never be a guest here." Isobel retorted as she sliced her home-made banoffee pie onto three dessert plates.

…

"So, Mary, how do you spend your free time?" Isobel asked as the trio finished off their pies.

Mary and Matthew simultaneously stiffened uncomfortably. Any free time that either of them had was generally spent in each other's beds (or on the nearest flat surface). So much so that it had already become a running joke between the two of them- they'd spent six months barely ever touching each other and now they hardly saw each other fully-clothed! Mary's lips involuntarily curved upwards at the thought.

"I know you're occupied most of the time; Matthew's always telling me about how hard you work at your job, and how much time you devote to your family." Isobel said admiringly, interrupting Mary's thoughts.

"I think Matthew may have embellished my efforts slightly." Mary said modestly, smiling at Matthew who looked upon her proudly.

"Not one bit." He said sincerely.

"The only reason I ask is because I've just started volunteering at a children's hospital nearby. They're in need of a couple more volunteers for Saturday mornings, for their arts and crafts class, and I thought you might be interested." Isobel explained enthusiastically.

Mary's eyebrows rose, out of panic rather than interest. She'd obviously misrepresented herself, and now Isobel mistook her for a gentle, sensitive young woman who would know how to handle a group of ill children. "Erm…" she faltered, not knowing how to explain to Isobel that she was totally unsuited for such a task whilst keeping her good opinion.

"Mary really is quite busy, Mum." Matthew offered helpfully. He could tell that Mary didn't know how to decline the suggestion without being rude or changing Isobel's impression of her.

"It's only two hours a week." Isobel persisted, clearly unable to understand why somebody wouldn't be jumping at the chance to help those less fortunate. "And I think it would be good for the children to have someone younger around— all the volunteers there are about my age! And you're doing well in your career. You'd make a good role model, for the little girls especially." Isobel smiled.

Mary winced slightly at the compliment, thinking back to her rebellious youth and all of the erotically adventurous things she'd persuaded Matthew to try out. Isobel definitely had the wrong idea about her.

"I would've asked Matthew as well but he's so frequently called into the office on Saturdays that it wouldn't be worth it." Isobel added. "So, what do you think? Would you like to apply?"

"She doesn't have to commit to it now, Mum." Matthew said, feeling bad that Mary was being put on the spot like this.

Isobel frowned slightly. "Are you not interested, Mary?" She asked, and Mary thought she could detect a hint of disappointment in her voice…

"Of course I am!" She blurted out before she could stop herself. She cared for Matthew so deeply, and having the approval of his mother, who was clearly the most important woman in his life (despite Matthew's insistence that Mary held that title), meant a great deal to her. Things had been going so well this evening- she didn't want to let her down now! "I'm usually free on Saturday mornings, so that would be fine!" Mary surprised herself with the level of enthusiasm in her voice.

"Really?" Matthew asked, his eyebrows raised to their maximum height. "Are you sure, darling?" He was certain that Mary would have wanted to run a mile from the prospect of being left in charge of a group of children covered in paint and glitter.

"Yes, I'm sure, Matthew." Mary laughed, as if to suggest that Matthew was being ridiculous for questioning her willingness to volunteer.

"Brilliant!" Isobel exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "I'll go and get the forms- you'll need to do a CRB check but it shouldn't take too long!" She pushed her chair back and hurried out of the room in search of the paperwork.

Mary gulped, realising what she'd just taken on. It was, quite frankly, one of her worst nightmares. An individual, well-behaved, healthy child who could basically take care of themselves was fine- but this was drastically out of her comfort zone.

"Well, you're a bag of surprises, aren't you?" Matthew's teasing voice said lowly.

"How could I have said no?" Mary whispered back.

"Mary, you say no to people all the time." Matthew pointed out.

"Yes, but –" Mary was cut off by Isobel's reappearance into the room.

…

"Remember to post the forms by Wednesday- the posts may be filled up by then." Isobel said earnestly.

"I'll remember, thanks, Isobel." Mary smiled weakly.

"Yes, thank you, Mum- you have bestowed a wonderful gift upon the children by informing Mary of this opportunity." Matthew said in jest. "I'm sure they'll be thrilled with Mary- thrilled into hyperactivity, in fact." He grinned at his glaring girlfriend.

"Stop trying to make her nervous, Matthew." Isobel chastised. "She'll be wonderful." She smiled warmly at a very unsure Mary.

"Well, thanks for dinner." Matthew kissed his mother on the cheek, earning a fond pat on the back.

"Goodbye, my dear. Thank you for finally bringing along this new girlfriend of yours." Isobel winked at Mary.

"Thanks for having me over, Isobel, it was a lovely evening." Mary stepped forward to give the older lady a hug, surprised at how comfortable she felt doing so.

"You're very welcome. Do come again soon." Isobel opened the front door for them. "Although I may see you at the hospital before too long!"

"Oh, yes." Mary laughed nervously, ignoring Matthew's teasing expression as they got into the car.

…

"So what was all that about, then?" Matthew asked as he drove away from Isobel's road.

Mary knew what he meant. "She wanted me to volunteer- I couldn't say no to her." She reiterated.

"Yes, you could've. I know she's a bit pushy but you don't have to do what she says." Matthew argued.

"Yes, but…" Mary trailed off.

"But what?"

"I thought that if I said no…"

"…Yes?" Matthew glanced over at Mary as they stopped at the traffic light.

"She might not like me." Mary said softly. Annoyingly for her, Matthew laughed out loud.

"What? You thought she'd decide that you're a terrible person just because you can't spare your Saturday mornings?"

"I don't know! I wanted her to think I'm a good person." Mary sighed frustratedly. "By the way- what exactly have you been telling her about me? I think her perception of me is pretty inaccurate."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters she didn't know that I went to boarding school, and you told her that I 'devote' time to my family, when I actually have no choice in the matter and would much rather stay away from them most of the time. She thinks of me as someone who would want to make papier-mâché volcanoes with sick children. She seemed to like me, but I don't think she likes the _real_ me."

"What are you talking about? She loves you!" Matthew exclaimed, in disbelief that Mary didn't realise. "She was praising you to the skies."

"When?"

"When you went to the bathroom after dessert. She was saying how well you spoke and how intelligent your thoughts were- she hasn't met a woman our age who's been able to converse with her so fully." Matthew explained, and Mary understood that he was hinting at Lavinia. "She said she likes the fact that you're friendly but still dignified and reserved, and how that will serve you well in today's world." He continued, "And she was really impressed by your general demeanour- she said such beautiful girls with such natural grace and class were hard to come by these days." Matthew grinned, happy in the knowledge that this high praise was describing his girlfriend. "And most of the stuff I've been telling her about you has been factual- about your job, your interests, your family, that sort of thing. So she's got a pretty good idea of what you're like."

"Really?" Mary asked, humbled by the thoughtful compliments. "She genuinely likes me?"

"Yes." Matthew assured, stopping once again at a traffic light. "She genuinely likes you. Besides, how could she not like you when she sees how madly in love with you her son is?"

Mary could only lean over and kiss Matthew soundly on the lips. "Thank you." She whispered against his mouth.

"I have no idea what you're thanking me for, but you're welcome." Matthew joked. "So shall I tell Mum that you've changed your mind about the children's hospital?"

Mary pondered this for a moment. "You know what, I might just do it anyway." She said resolutely.

"Really? Why? You don't need to impress her anymore."

"I know, but I think it might be a good experience for me. To try something new." She replied. She felt like she'd encountered part of a whole new world through meeting Isobel- one where people worked for the joy of working and helping others, rather than for profit or status. Isobel seemed so content with her modest life, and Mary wanted to sample it for herself.

"I see." Matthew raised an eyebrow. His girlfriend really was a bag of surprises sometimes.

…

Later that night, Mary got out of the shower and noticed a text message from Matthew on her phone.

_Check your email in about five minutes. X_

Seeing that the message had been sent about fifteen minutes ago, Mary curiously opened her laptop and logged in to her email account. Sitting in her inbox was an unread message from Isobel. Wondering what on Earth Isobel would have to email her about, Mary quickly clicked on it.

_Dear Mary,_

_I didn't want to call you at this hour so I asked Matthew for your email address, I hope you don't mind. I just wanted to say something that I didn't get the chance to tell you over dinner._

_Matthew told me how well you looked after him last week when he had the flu, and it warmed my heart. As you can imagine, he is the dearest person to me, and as a mother I still find it difficult at times to stop myself from running to his aid everytime he falls ill or needs help! But knowing that he has someone like you by his side puts me greatly at ease. _

_I don't wish to seem intrusive, but I just wanted to thank you for making my son so happy. He's been the happiest I've ever seen him these past few weeks- as happy as he was before his father passed- and I know that's down to you._

_I hope to see you soon,_

_Isobel_.

…

_A/N: I hope that ending wasn't too abrupt, but I thought it was a nice note to end it on- making it clear that Matthew's happiness it what endears Isobel to Mary the most! Let me know your thoughts! xx_


End file.
